In what has become known as the "'68 Comback Special," Elvis performed If I Can Dream in front of a wall of red lights which spelled out his first name.

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From the TV special:

Elvis, in a rare move, went against his manager's, Colonel Tom Parker, wishes and chose to perform If I Can Dream instead of "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

Elvis, who had grown dissatisfied with the direction his movies and the accompanying songs had taken, remarked at the time of the song's selection, "I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another picture I don't believe in."

In an attempt to avoid having to use "I'll Be Home For Christmas," the show's producers gave Walter Earl Brown the assignment to write the best song of his life, overnight. Brown came back with If I Can Dream.

Elvis had never before made a public political statement or sung a song with any particular message. Although the song is not overtly political, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. earlier that year intensified the impact of the lyrics.

Additionally, Elvis poured such passion into his singing, the feeling that his life depended on it is strongly conveyed. At the time, the future of his career certainly did hang in the balance.

If I Can Dream peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Top 100 for 13 weeks.